Andrew Gurza

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Andrew Gurzandrew Gurza

Andrew Gurza is a Canadian award-winning Disability Awareness Consultant and activist, based in Toronto, with an intention to spark conversations surrounding disability and sexuality. Gurza proudly identifies as disabled and uses they/he pronouns. Their work has been featured on BBC, Huffington Post, Everyday Feminism, Men's Health, Los Angeles Times, them and much more. Andrew Gurza has traveled the world sharing their stories, highlighting the importance of having conversations surrounding sexuality and disability, and what it means to be Queer Cripple. They are also the Co-Founder and the Chief Disability Officer of Bump'n, a sex toy company for and by disabled people. He was the subject of an award-winning National Film Board of Canada Documentary Picture This by Jari Osborne. They are also the host of the podcast Disability After Dark. Andrew Gurza graduated from Carleton University with a Masters in Legal Studies; his thesis was titled "From Paper to Practice: An Examination of How Public Perception of Disability Influences the Mobilization of Rights, Programs and Services for People with Disabilities."

Their Work

Picture This

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Picture This Documentary

Jari Osborne's film, Picture This, follows Andrew Gurza, through a series of interviews and conversations with friends, as he co-plans the Second Annual Deliciously Disabled Sex Positive Fully Accessible Play Party. It also shares the stories and experiences of Andrew and his peers, both positive and negative, sexual and otherwise, as disabled individuals. The documentary opens with Andrew sharing a story of his first sexual encounter in which a man admitted to Gurza that he was "just a pity fuck." Gurza shares how attitudes and experiences such as this often characterize disabled people's sexual experiences. However, Gurza makes his mission to destigmatize sexuality and disability clear through their commitment to uplifting the importance of conversations such as these and defying notions of asexuality among disabled people. On the contrary, Gurza maintains that his disability is an important part of his sexuality.

"I like that I’m different. I like that my body is curved. I like that when I’m naked I don’t look normative and I think my disability enhances my sexual identity a lot."

Gurza shares that while most folks, both disabled and not, are hesitant or think it inappropriate to engage in these conversations, for a variety of reasons ranging from fear to ableism, Gurza says that despite the fact that "when people talk about disability they do it with kid gloves," he is undeterred and unafraid and it's his life.

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Deliciously Disabled Poster Ad featuring Andrew Gurza

The documentary follows the planning of the Deliciously Disabled event, including a photoshoot featuring Andrew, his co-planner Stella Palikorova, and other disabled folks. On a trip to the venue, Andrew and Stella reminisce about the success of the first event and consider how to make the upcoming one grander. When the event is eventually canceled, due to low ticket sales, Gurza attributes the decision to not, this time around, use the word "orgy" to describe the event as the reason for the decreased interest. His co-planner, Stella Palikorova, shares that while the decision was made to portray the event as a more refined gathering, it cost them a lot of notoriety. Gurza seconds this by saying that "with disability, it has to be sensationalized or infantilized for it to be newsworthy."

Disability After Dark Podcast

Andrew Gurza's podcast Disability After Dark began in 2016 and now has over 300 episodes. It's intention is to "have real conversations about disability, sexuality and everything else about the disability experience that we don't talk about." Most episodes feature a guest speaker with whom Andrew engages with on a myriad of topics relating to the disabled experience. Topics include neurodivergence, porn, caregivers/ing, first dates, queerness, representation, internalized ableism, accomodations, sex work, and so much more. Through open, honest, and deeply personal conversations, Andrew and his guests work to destigmatize many of these topics.

Bump'n

Bump'n is a company that Andrew Gurza and Heather Morrison founded with the intention of making sex toys that are made by and for disabled people. Their company hopes not only to provide sexual health products and services by and for disabled people but also to spark a movement to reduce the taboo nature surrounding sex and disability.

Their first product, the Joystick, is for folks with reduced hand mobility. It features are large section with holes to insert existing sex toys into, and a large pillow-like top section that users can hold with their arms to manipulate the bottom section. It is a gender-neutral design meaning it can accomodate sex toys for folks with vulvas and penises.

Bump'n's website also provides links to blog posts written by Andrew Gurza and other authors which include articles titled "Bump'n the Barriers to Bottoming," "How to have great oral sex as a wheelchair user," and "4 Accessible Ways to Ward Off Touch Starvation."

The Truth About Being Crippled Blog

Andrew Gurza's blog The Truth About Being Crippled is another forum to discuss and shine a light on topics not often discussed. Titles include "Harnessing My Sexuality as a Queer Cripple: Becoming My Super, Sexy Self," "Working as a Queer Cripple: My Feelings Around Presenting Sex, Disability and Queerness," and "How I Really Feel About Sex Work and Disability as a Disabled Client."